


Blind, Not Dumb

by brightephemera



Series: Leif Surana [7]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Blindness, Darkspawn, Gen, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightephemera/pseuds/brightephemera
Summary: Prompt fill for loss of sight. Leif and Loghain encounter an explosion. (Setting: Early-Middle Amaranthine timeline, post Original Campaign)
Relationships: Loghain Mac Tir & Female Surana, Loghain Mac Tir & Warden
Series: Leif Surana [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954573
Kudos: 1





	Blind, Not Dumb

“Leif,” roared Loghain. “Leif!”

Leif opened her eyes, or tried to. Everything was black. Whatever the darkspawn had let off or accidentally disturbed, it had put her under what felt like half a ton of rock, and she couldn’t see.

She pushed. “Loghain?”

“There you are.” He clanged from somewhere below to somewhere beside. “Are you trapped?”

“A little.” She pushed one hand up into the cold air. “Working on it.”

“I can’t see,” he said, very quietly. “Whatever it is they destroyed…”

“Me too.”

“Well. Isn’t that ideal.” She heard a scraping and felt a lightening of her load. He was moving the rocks above her. “Are you injured?” he added, still quietly.

“Apart from I can’t see and I’ll have about a zillion bruises in the morning? I’m fine. Do you think the darkspawn are still around?”

“Can you cast spells without your sight?”

She squeezed the grip on her staff.“I think so.”

“Good.” He did not otherwise address the question of nearby darkspawn.

She shifted her legs and the last rocks fell away. “Stop,” she said to him as she heard him feeling for another stone to move. “I’m okay.”

He touched her shoulder, then, in a quick sweep, ran fingertips to reach and grasp her forearm. He pulled her up and for a moment they just breathed and strained to see.

“There’s no use looking for shelter,” she said. “We would probably just find a bear’s den. I think the best we can do is sit down and shut up.”

“Now you know how I feel about our rowdiest recruits.”

They sat back to back. She clutched her staff and swung her head. “I can see the sun, mostly. I think we’re facing north. Well, I am, anyway. I think we ended up over that ridge. That puts us out of sight of the tunnel mouth.”

“Reasonable. That gives us time.”

She shivered. Counting time against a darkspawn patrol while unable to see? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this helpless. In the silence between them she listened and heard only the soughing of trees and the random falling of still-imbalanced rock. There was a tang in the air she didn’t recognize. It must have been whatever had exploded. The tunnel they had patrolled had been warm, almost stuffy; out here the air was frigid. Leif adjusted her fur cloak and wondered whether Loghain had much plate armor directly touching skin. She didn’t want to ask, and she had a feeling he didn’t want to answer. Anyway, his bulk formed a little shelter for her.

“Sometimes the best you can do is wait,” he said out of nowhere. “I wouldn’t call it enjoyable, but it gets results.”

Someday, someday his advice would be pleasant. But that day was not today. “What if it doesn’t get the whole vision thing result?”

“Then we return to civilization and train hounds or some such to assist.” He didn’t sound enthused, but then, when did he ever? “It’s possible to build topographic maps for our planning, we would not be helpless.”

“Oh. As long as there’s a plan.”

“I amend my previous statement. Sometimes the best you can do is wait, and think through the next likely problem.”

She drew her knees to her chin and shivered. But she listened, too, with her ears and her darkspawn sense both. Her plan for the next darkspawn to so much as look in their direction was simple. A blind man with a sword alone would be in a bad place, but she could kill at thirty yards. There. That was a likely problem. She listened.


End file.
